Geschenka's Tower
by TheBrokenWarrior
Summary: Based on Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm. When a young couple angers a powerful witch, she steals their newborn daughter and raises her as her own. Geschenka, or Shen, loves her quirky mother, though it's lonely being homeschooled and stuck in the house all day. But strange things begin to happen, and a family moves into the house next door. Something's about to change.
1. The Price for Deceit

Geschenka's Tower

By TheBrokenWarrior

Chapter 1: The Price for Deceit

* * *

_11:48 p.m., March 23, 1999_

Mr. Gardener desperately held the hand of his wife.

"You can do this, Alice!" he practically yelled. "We've made it this far; stay with me!"

Sweat glistened on Alice's forehead, and she moaned weakly. One hand held Mr. Gardener's, clenching and unclenching; the other rested upon her distended belly. She had lost a lot of blood, and was fading fast. Hans, the family's faithful greyhound, stared up at them with sad, knowing eyes.

As her husband checked his cell phone once again for any signs of service, he felt he had never regretted any decision so much as the one to go through with the labour at home. He cursed the early March blizzard and heavy winds that had taken down the power lines.

When the contractions began, he had helped Alice to her bed, and called the midwife. He caressed Alice's cheek comfortingly and turned the volume up so she could hear the ringtone and the voice of the witch who had promised to be their to help with the birth. After four rings, someone had picked up on the other line, and the familiar voice of Mrs. Barby answered.

"Hello, Mrs. Barby speaking."

"This is Richard Gardener. Alice is in labour."

Instead of a reply he received a dial tone. Then the lights went out.

Now, hours later, Alice clung onto his hand with all of her dying strength. From the classes the Gardeners had taken together, they both were aware of a solemn fact: there was a high probability that Alice, and possibly the baby as well, would not make it through. They had only one hope, and that hope was in the midwife.

If she had heard Richard's statement before the power went out, or guessed the meaning of the call, there was a chance that she was on her way now. Maybe, with her magical powers, she could help Alice survive.

Richard prayed to the powers above that it was so.

* * *

_July 1, 1998 - Eight months before_

"Richard! I have news for you!"

Alice's cheery voice rang throughout the house. It was a beautiful summer day, and the weather, though warm, supplied a cool breeze uncommon in the hotter months. Animals and plants alike seemed refreshed by the gentle weather, and the happy chirping of birds filled the air almost as much as the sunshine did.

"I'm in the garden, dear."

Alice followed the voice out into a delightful little flower garden at the back of the house, where Richard was watering the plants. It was one of the few things he devotedly did, besides playing video-games and browsing the internet. Alice, too, took a delight in tending to the pretty flowers, though less so than gossiping with her friends or attending parties.

She walked towards Richard, tugging at his hand until he set the watering can down and turned to face her. He pulled her in for a gentle embrace, and kissed her. They had been married for three years, having tied the knot almost as soon as they got out of highschool. Their young love was still as fresh as then, and they still had not experienced the deeper troubles of married life.

"So, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Richard asked, smiling fondly as he patted her belly. They had found out she was pregnant a few weeks before, and though her stomach still gave no evidence of the fact, and she looked slim as ever, they couldn't wait until their child was born.

"Well, you know the witch we've heard talk of," Alice got straight to the business of telling him, voice getting higher in the excitement of it. "I went to visit her today after shopping, and she agreed to be our midwife! Isn't that just lovely? I know that we'll be safe with her taking care of us, and I'd much prefer her to those stuffy faced doctors of that horrible hospital we visited. Can you believe it? We're going to be parents!"

Alice squealed happily, hugging Richard once more. They ran back inside to make chocolate chip cookies, as they had nothing better to do at the moment, and Alice felt the need to celebrate. Though they had both already reached their twenty-first year neither of them were very mature or experienced yet in the ways of the world. To Alice, the thought of a child meant baby showers, the envious looks of her friends, a cute little face with a button nose and blue eyes, and best of all, adorable fat cheeks to squeeze. The hardship and responsibilities of being a mother did not exist in her daydreams. For Richard, he didn't care much about having a kid, but if it made Alice happy, he was fine with it. He hoped it wouldn't cry too much or cause trouble.

"Oh, there is one more thing I have to tell you, dear," Alice said with a frown as she stirred the dough, "She will be visiting us regularly to give us lessons and advice and such, as you know, but the rates will be awfully expensive."

Richard said nothing, as his mouth was full of cookie dough, but his eyes darkened as he wondered how to get his parents to pay for it. They were already upset with him for shrugging the rent onto their shoulders, but they liked him too much to force him into anything. However, he wasn't sure how much more they were willing to pay.

"But don't worry, Rick," Alice went on to say, smiling mischievously, "we were, after all, the famous trickster and bad boy at school. She seems old and senile - forgetful, too. She kept pausing in the middle of sentences and getting distracted. I've no doubt we can get away with paying her less than asked for."

"Hmm, it sounds well enough in theory," he said, laying the dough out on a cooking sheet. "But in the event that she gets wind of our plan, we'd need some sort of evidence to use in our favor. The courts don't look favorably upon situations like ours."

"Oh, that'll be easy," she laughed, "we just pay her the money, in checks perhaps, so there'll be evidence at the bank that she cashed them in. Then when she pays her visits, one of us distracts her while the other raids her purse. Simple."

"That," said Rick proudly, poking her nose and getting cookie dough on it, "Is why I love you. You have the brains to come up with plans."

"And you," Alice smiled, "have the guts to follow them."

* * *

_12:01 a.m., March 28, 1999_

"Alice, no!" Richard sobbed, tears streaming down his face and splashing in rude drops on his wife's still face. "Please, Alice… we were to have a life together…"

Hans turned to the door and growled. Richard took no notice until it burst open and Mrs. Barby stepped inside. She was weighted down by bundles of clothing and heavy medical bags.

"Dear, are you alright?" She asked, peering through snow-frosted glasses at his tearstained face. Her eyes moved to Alice, and suddenly took on a darkened intensity. Promptly setting down her bundles, she made a beeline to the bed and felt for a pulse.

Richard sat in a state of shock, sadness, and disbelief. To think that she would arrive no less than a minute after Alice's death! His grief gave way to anger.

"You!" he hissed. The older lady startled and looked towards him questioningly. "You could have saved her! It's been hours since I called! It's been three entire hours!" He stood up to his full height, waving his arms like a madman, hurling insults and curses at her. "How can you?! How can you show up now?"

The witch took this surprisingly well, showing no sign of fear. Neither did she show remorse or sorrow. Rather, a strange smile creeped over her face, as he finally stopped and collapsed in a broken heap on the floor. The smile then grew into a full grin, and she threw back her head and laughed. As crazy as Richard felt at the moment, even he felt the unnaturalness of her reaction, and he looked at her with disbelief and horror written across his face.

"Ha ha! Ha ha ha!" she said, clutching her sides as she shook with laughter. She composed herself, taking on a calm, haughty mask. Her features seemed clearer now, the wrinkles disappearing, and her hair went from scraggly grey to a rich deep brown. Her stooped back straightened, and she stood taller than Richard had a moment before.

"Foolish man," she spat, "Did you take me for an idiot? Deceiving me like that, expecting me to take no notice of the money disappearing from my wages! I can't decide who is more of a fool, you for acting on the plan, or your stupid wife for coming up with it in the first place."

She turned a look of contempt towards where Alice's body lay.

"You thought you were smart," the witch sneered, turning back to Richard. "You both thought that by moving out into the world you had grown up. But you are no more than children. Did no one ever tell you the dangers of insulting creatures of magic?"

She laughed once more, then stepped forward abruptly. Taking his chin in sharp, hard fingers, she thrust her angry face in his. Her eyes were a deadly shade of black.

"Never. Ever. Make a fool of a witch."

It took the sharp slap across his face to get Richard to snap out of the paralyzed state he had been in. He backed away rapidly on limbs shaking with terror.

"Please," he sobbed, "We never meant to. We - we didn't know. Please, I'll do anything! Just save Alice. Save Alice!"

The witch smiled cruelly at him.

"Now why would I do that?" She asked. "I have no mercy. You are paying for what you have done; why should I not give justice where justice is due?" Her eyes narrowed. "Perhaps," she said thoughtfully, looking over at the body, "Perhaps I can change the punishment. After all, I would love to see Alice live on to suffer."

"Yes! Yes! Please!" he said, grasping at her robes, voice hollow.

"Would you give your life in exchange for hers?"

The hope in his eyes was replaced by terror. He shook his head, unable to speak.

"Ahh, I see you are a fool and a coward." She turned to leave the room. "And to think, bravery was what she admired most about you. It seems I wasn't the only one you lied to."

She stepped past Hans, who growled at her.

"Shut up, dog." she said coldly. Hans barked and advanced towards her. "See, Richard, even your dog is more loyal than you are. He certainly did love Alice. No doubt he would give his life for hers, but what value would I hold the life of a dog? Not much." She went to move on, but a thought struck her and she paused once more. "However… I should very much value the life of a child. Ahh, yes…" she didn't bother to turn as she asked Richard the question that would change his life.

"Your earlier call to the hospital did make it through, though they had various problems to prevent them from leaving sooner. They will arrive in a few minutes, and perform a Cesarean section to save the child. She will have a long, boring life, and you will hate her. Hate her for taking your wife. Would you give me her life in exchange for Alice's?"

Richard didn't even have to think about it.

"Yes!" he yelled. "Take the baby; I don't want it!"

"Very well." She waved her hand, and Alice's body gave a sudden jerk. Richard rushed over and looked hopefully at her face. A few seconds passed, then she took a deep breath. Relief rushed over him, and he grabbed her hand.

"Alice." he whispered. Her eyes flickered and opened. "Oh, Alice!" he hugged her, sobbing with happiness. She looked at him, confused, then turned her eyes questioningly to the witch, who still stood in the room.

"Who's she?" Alice asked, voice raspy. "And where's the baby?"

"Oh, Richard…" the witch smiled, shaking her head. "You will have a lot of explaining to do."

With that, she opened the window, and jumped out. Hans rushed over, barking, but nothing was seen outside, no marks on the snow or heap of crumpled clothing on the ground. The sound of sirens filled the air as an ambulance pulled into the Gardener's driveway.

On the outskirts of the forest behind the house, the witch stood, watching. She held a small moving bundle in her arms. Looking down, she tapped the button nose of the blue-eyed baby in her arms.

"Let them think you dead," she said, smiling lovingly, "Their troubles are far from over."

The little girl in her arms laughed and stuck her hand in her mouth. The witch held her close and turned to begin the long journey home.

"You are a good payment for my pains. Really, a much better gift than the pain I could have caused by your fool of a mother's death. I will call you Geschenka."

* * *

_A/N: This has been sitting in my Google Drive for several months now, and I can't help but want to share it with someone. I know I have two other stories I'm working on, but I need something to work on when I take a break from the others, and I just have so many things I want to write about! This is based on the Brothers Grimm story of Rapunzel. It takes place in the modern day, but includes witches, magic, and princes. _


	2. A New House

Chapter 2 - A New House

_7: 42 a.m. February 11, 2011_

* * *

"Please tell me! Please please _please_ tell me!"

"How many times must I remind you that if I tell you, it won't be a surprise?"

"Pleaaase. I won't tell anyone else. I'll keep it a secret."

"Now why would I do that, dear? It's only a surprise for you, so it would be completely ruined."

"But I thought you _loved_ me," Shen said, widening her blue eyes as much as humanly possible in an attempt to look cute and irresistible. Her mother, however, did resist.

"Geschenka Alice Gothelle," her mother began sternly, using her full name. "How many times do I have to tell you…"

"Tell me what, mommy?"

Mrs. Gothelle bent down slowly so that she was on eye level with her daughter.

"Tell you that…" she paused for dramatic effect, "I do love you!" She scooped Shen up and began tickling and kissing her.

"Mom!" Shen complained, laughing.

Mrs. Gothelle set her down, and led the way to the door. Looking around one more time at the bare room, she made sure that they had forgotten nothing.

"Come on," she said, and walked out.

They walked down the driveway, Shen stomping through the thick layers of snow. They lived in a small house on the outskirts of town. It was a small neighbourhood, and the neighbours, consisting of mostly old couples, were very friendly. Shen liked it here; it was nicer than some of the other places they had lived. But then again, she knew she would like any place so long as her mother was with her.

Shen climbed into the car and buckled up. She would be twelve in a little over a month, and she felt very much a big girl. She no longer needed a booster seat, and was very proud of the fact.

"Bye, house!" she said, waving to the small yellow painted building she had spent the last few months in. As the car moved up the street, several neighbours waved cheerfully, unaware that this would be the last time they saw Mrs. Gothelle and her daughter. Shen waved back just as cheerfully, though she knew that she was leaving for good.

It was always like this. Her mommy would come into the house, and tell her there was a surprise for her. Together they would pack their bags, and have a goodbye party in the kitchen with hot cocoa and cookies. The next morning, they would wake up early and leave. After many long hours of driving, Mrs. Gothelle would show an excited Shen their new place of living.

Shen wasn't upset by this way of living. It was fun and exciting to her. Of course, she would grow attached to some places, but quickly forget them in the excitement of the road trip. Her mommy was fun. She would turn on music, and sing along in her strong voice, and Shen would attempt to follow with her high, squeaky voice. They usually both ended up laughing at how ridiculous it sounded. Along the way, they would stop at fast-food restaurants, and Mrs. Gothelle always ordered smoothies or ice cream.

Shen wouldn't trade it for anything.

* * *

_1: 34 p.m. of the same day_

"Shen, honey, wake up," Mrs. Gothelle shook a sleeping Shen's shoulder. They sat in the driveway to their new home. About the car thick snow fell, blown about in the wind.

"Are we there yet?" Shen murmured, eyes still closed.

"Yes, Honey, we're there."

Her eyes shot open, and she was instantly craning towards the window, squinting her eyes and searching for the house.

"Aww, I can't see through the snow," she said. Her mother laughed.

"Then let's get out of the car and go closer," she said, unbuckling and grabbing her keys. Shen unbuckled and opened the car door, jumping out into a pile of snow. She squealed in surprise as it came up to her waist. Trying to move forward was difficult, as she had to push through the heavy snow.

"I'm stuck," she told her mom, giggling. Mrs. Gothelle came wading over and picked Shen up. Though Shen was almost twelve years old, she was short compared to her mother, and it was easy for Mrs. Gothelle to carry her.

"Why is there so much snow in the driveway?" she asked.

"It seems no one expected our arrival," her mother replied, "It's been snowing heavily the past few days, and we came here on short notice."

As they walked up a long path, which was only distinguishable from the driveway because of the snow-laden bushes on either side, the house became visible through the blizzard.

"Wow," Shen murmured reverently, eyes widening.

The house was more like a mansion. It was three stories tall, painted in pale yellow and white. Jutting out of the roof rose one area higher than the others.

"What's that?" the excited girl questioned, pointing to it.

"Your bedroom," Mrs. Gothelle said.

"Really?" a gigantic smile broke out on her face. "That's awesome!"

Mrs. Gothelle patiently waited for Shen to stop hugging her, before setting her down to pull out her keys. After trying out various ones (most of which were probably for the car, Shen's piggy bank, or the liquor cabinet) she found the right one.

They stepped into an large, but under furnished living room. The walls were bare, but painted a calm teal, and there was a soft rug and a nice couch set. Other than that, the room was empty. To the left there was a hallway leading to the kitchen, and on the far end was a door leading to the dining room.

Shen took of her wet coat and boots, then shivered. "It's cold in here."

Her mother went over to a thermostat on the wall and fiddled around with it. After a few seconds, the vents in the ceiling began to blow out air.

"The place will warm up in a few minutes," she said, walking into the kitchen. Shen followed, and together they discovered the oven.

"We should bake cookies!" Shen said happily.

"That's a wonderful idea, but first let's check out your new bedroom, hmm?

They went from room to room in the house, peeking into closets and peering out windows.

"This house is huge!" exclaimed Shen.

"I knew you'd like it." Her mother beamed.

Finally, they left the third floor and climbed up a narrow set of steps. Through a yellow painted door they stepped into the tower room. It was slightly on the small side, but held enough room to contain a bed and the shelves of books and stuffed animals Shen would be bringing in. Right across the room there was a large elongated window, square at the bottom but curved at the top to a point. Shen rushed to it, looking out on onto the rooftop.

"It's like Cinderella's attic room, isn't it?" Mrs. Gothelle remarked, coming up behind her. She knew Shen loved the tale.

"Well… kinda, except Cinderella's stepmom was really mean. But you are a little nicer."

"Only a little nicer?" Mrs. Gothelle pouted, and pretended to cry, "You can't really mean that!"

Shen grinned slyly. "Well, I might change my mind… but you'd have to do something very, very kind to convince me."

"Hmm," her mother stroked her chin thoughtfully. "What if I bake something for you?"

"It depends on what it is." Shen crossed her arms in a business-like manner, tilting her head to the side and eyeing her mother.

"Lasagna?"

"Eww, no!" She dropped her arms quickly and frantically waved them. "Please, anything but that."

"What about those cookies we talked about?"

"Yummm!"

"I'll take that as a yes."

Mrs. Gothelle moved towards the door, and Shen went to follow her, but something out the window caught her eye.

"What's that?" She asked, gesturing to the building a few yards away from the window, which could hardly be seen through the snow.

"It's another house."

Shen considered this.

"Is it ours?" she asked curiously. The other laughed.

"No, silly, why would we need two houses? It's a neighbour's house."

"Oh. Who lives in it?"

"No one. The owners live in another state. It's up for sale."

"Do we have any neighbours?'

Mrs. Gothelle frowned. "Not really; there's a few other people far down the street, but the houses near us are all empty."

Shen pressed her face against the cold window. The building had a window across from hers, though a little farther down. A white curtain prevented her from seeing anything inside the neighboring house. She frowned and looked down all the way to the ground.

"Wow! It's so high up!" she gasped. "You know, Mommy, I changed my mind. This isn't Cinderella's attic. It's Sleeping Beauty's tower!"

She giggled and followed her mother downstairs to make those cookies.

* * *

_A/N: So here we see the witch's nice side. I almost wish she was my mother now! :P I'm thinking it's not a morally wrong thing in a witch's mind to kidnap a child, as she sees it as just payment. What do you think? If you like it, be sure to review or follow the story. Thanks, and have a great day! 3_


	3. Shopping Pains

Chapter 3 - Shopping Pains

* * *

_6:54 p.m. November 19__th__, 2015_

"Yay! Snow!"

After three somewhat tiring, but completely exciting weeks of cross-country traveling, Shen and her mother were almost home. The last day had been boring and tiresome, and while Shen couldn't wait to be home, she was also disappointed that the trip was over. She had seen so many beautiful things, and wasn't yet ready to go back to her normal way of living. However, all it took was a few snowflakes to brighten her mood.

"I've been waiting so long for this," she sighed happily as she watched them collect on the windshield, "The trees looked so strange and bare without any leaves, but a few inches of snow will turn them into furry white monsters!"

"You say that as though monsters were nice things," Mrs. Gothelle smiled.

"Monsters are nice things," Shen protested, "at least, the kinds cuddly fur. They're like giant teddy bears!"

"Go ahead and believe that," smirked her mother, "until you meet one and it swallows you whole."

An hour later, Shen's "few inches" of snow had turned into a full-on blizzard. Mrs. Gothelle pulled off on an exit. A sign announced that there were a few gas stations, a general store, and a Mcdonald's.

"This is getting too thick to drive in," she explained. "We haven't had dinner yet, so I was thinking we could go shopping and find some food."

"Sounds good," said Shen as they reached the bottom of the exit ramp and turned right. A green sign by the roadside read: _Riverton 4 miles_.

The car pulled into the store parking lot.

"You coming in?" Mrs. Gothelle asked.

Shen thought about this, counting the pros and cons. She really didn't feel like getting out of the warm car and walking through the cold. Neither did she want to have to get off her butt. She was quite comfortable where she was. But if she stayed out in the car, there was a higher probability that her mother would buy something absolutely disgusting. That decided it. In no way was she ever eating another Swiss cheese and rye bread sandwich.

She hopped out of the car and followed her mother into the store. Mrs. Gothelle wove in and out of busy customers and shopping carts with practiced ease, walking down aisles and comparing prices.

"Shen, will you go to the dairy section, please? See if they have any fat-free yogurt."

"Okay," Shen said, nervously looking about the large store. She never felt at ease in places with large amounts of people. This vacation had been the first time she had really gotten out to see the world, other than an occasional doctor's appointment or shopping trip. It had amazed her to see how many people there really were in the world, but at the same time scared her.

She walked over to the dairy section, scanning it for yogurt. Vanilla was her mother's favorite flavor, while she preferred blueberry. Unfortunately for her, there wasn't any blueberry. Sighing, she bent to grab a container, and headed back to find her mother, bumping into people, carts, and shelves the whole way.

As she nearly came head-on with an employee, she mentally high-fived herself at the grace with which she moved out of his way. _Yay! No more head-bumping. I'm getting better at this._

The self-satisfied smile that appeared on her face lasted all the way up until she tripped. Why did she have such bad luck today? And what idiot had left a bag of dog food on the floor? Seriously, did they put it there purposely to make her trip? She fell downwards and braced herself for impact… an impact that never came as she fell into strong arms. She kept her eyes closed for a second or two, making sure she was still alive, and then opened them.

She had read many romance stories before. She knew what happened when a stupid clumsy girl is caught in the middle of a fall – she looks up at her savior (an extremely handsome one usually) and bam! Love at first sight. Of course, there is the usual up-and-down relationship, and a lot of embarrassment along the way, but it usually ends happily. Usually.

_Brace yourself_, she thought. _Your entire life might be about to change_. Slowly she raised her eyes to meet those of the one who had caught her. They were beautiful eyes. Big, and green, and… belonging to a woman. An old woman. Well, not that old, but older than Shen, anyway. And certainly not about to sweep her off her feet with some flirty pick-up line.

"You're not a guy," Shen said, relieved. She noticed that the woman was staring at her strangely. She realized that her statement must have not made much sense to the woman, and she had not heard Shen's internal panic when she was first caught. "I thought you were a guy," she explained, only to realize that that sounded very wrong.

"Not that you look like a guy," she added quickly. "I mean, you're very, er, pretty." She scanned the other as she said this, and took in her medium height, blonde hair, and blue eyes. She was surprised to see that the woman actually looked a lot like herself, albeit a lot older. _Yay, Shen, you've determined that she looks like you. Now stop gaping and do something._

"Okay. I mean, thanks. For, you know, catching me." The woman still stood there with the weird expression on her face. _Oh no. I think she's mad. Maybe at me for tripping or something. But really, if she was mad about that, why bother catching me… People really are weird._ "And sorry for tripping and, uh, wasting your time."

_That'll do it_, Shen thought. _You've apologized; now get out of here and go find your mother._ Her body seemed to break out of its paralyzed state and slowly move out of the aisle. But as she moved to leave a man came walking down the aisle. Her eyes moved to his, and he stopped and stared at her as well. _What is it? Do I have something on my face? Why is everyone staring? This is seriously disturbing._ She brushed past the man as well, and walked out of the aisle.

She looked about to catch her bearings, and spotted her mother heading towards her.

"Thank the powers above," Shen muttered. Her relief turned to surprise and annoyance, though, when her mother halted her movements and looked as though she had seen a ghost. "What on earth," Shen began, but never finished her sentence as she heard a gasp behind her. The man and woman stood there, clutching each other with a look of horror upon their faces. Shen guessed that they were married or something, but she still didn't get why they looked so scared. She looked back and forth between them and her mother.

Suddenly, a wave of anger crossed the man's face, and he strode over to where her mother was.

"You!" he hissed.

"Yes, me," she smirked. Shen was surprised to see a look on her mother's face that she had never seen before. It looked almost… cruel, and gloating. Mrs. Gothelle had pulled herself up to her full height, and tilted her head as she calmly watched the man.

"Richard, don't!" his wife called fearfully. Richard, as Shen assumed his name must be, ignored her.

"How dare you show your face here, after what you did?"

"I don't think that that little _incident_," Mrs. Gothelle replied calmly, "barred my right to go wherever I want. There is no need to overreact."

"You think this is overreacting? You killed my daughter! I think that calls for a little more than 'overreacting'."

Ahh, they must be crazy people. That explained things. Shen nodded her head. That explained it all. Wait. They were… crazy! Oh no. Oh no no no. Why weren't they in an insane asylum? She had read enough books to know that crazy people did very, very horrific things, like stalking people, killing them, eating them… she shuddered. How could her mother look so calm? This was not good.

"Richard, please," Richard's wife said, "Don't get on her bad side. What happened all those years ago is bad enough; I couldn't bear to lose you as well." She wrung her hands and it looked as though she were trying not to cry.

At this point, other people in the store were taking notice, awkwardly skirting around the group, or turning completely around and walking the other way. Others nervously stared at them, probably wondering if they should try to break up the impending fight, call the manager, or run out of the store yelling, "Donuts are the meaning of life!"

Okay, Shen was probably the only one considering the last option, but she thought it might actually get her mother's attention so she could ask what the heck was going on.

What she ended up doing, though, was probably what any other person would do in her specific situation.

"Mom? What's going on?" she asked.

Richard spun around to face her, and she shrank from the intensity of his glare.

"And who are you?" he sneered, "Another witch? I don't get why you disguised yourself as my wife, but I only care about one thing right now. If you are in league with that woman," he pointed towards Mrs. Gothelle, "you might want to rethink your stance. I have grown powerful as well over the years."

Shen wondered if that was his way of saying he had gone to the gym. And did he just ask if she was… a witch? That must be his way of insulting her. She was sure a weirder or scarier situation had never been experienced before. She was too scared to say anything, but instead stared back at the tall intimidating man. At least he wasn't as tall as her mother, but he was much taller than Shen, and that was scary enough.

As this was happening, his wife seemed to gain control of herself, standing taller and with less signs of surprise and fear.

"Richard," she said, more composed than before, "I understand how you feel. I do. But though we have gained powers and trained in them, we are yet too weak!"

"Don't you see, Alice," Richard cried, "this may be the only chance we ever have to make that witch pay for what she has done." His face grew even fiercer, if that was possible. "It's time," he went on, "to show her who she is messing with!"

Faster than Shen could even blink, he was suddenly standing behind her, his arm around her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure – it must have been his wife – running closer, and people around stepping back. A strange light appeared in the hand that Richard was not using to hold her, and as scared as Shen already was, she suddenly was possessed with a whole other fear, a deeper one. What on earth was happening?

Suddenly, there was a flash, and she was only aware of a bright whiteness all around her before she lost consciousness.

* * *

_A/N: I apologize if this chapter was goofier than you were expecting. Do you think I should change one of the categories to 'Humor'? Since a lot of the chapters will be showing Shen's thoughts, there will probably be a lot more sections of this type. Then again, I never intended it to be a funny or weird story. If you have an opinion, please let me know. I value my readers' feedback!_

_Another thing: if any part of this doesn't make sense to you, please let me know, so I can make it clearer and more coherent. The chapters I post are usually my second or third draft, but not the final edition, so they're apt to have mistakes in them. _

_Thanks for the reviews! _


	4. Of Cookies and Coffee

Chapter 4 - Of Cookies and Coffee

* * *

_2:08 November 20, 2015_

Whiteness. Falling snow. The soft sounds of sobs. Shen wrinkled her brow in confusion. She felt cold. Looking around, she saw a grey shadow in the distance. She walked closer, and discovered it to be a house. A candle was flickering in the upstairs window. She knocked on the door. It creaked open.

She walked up the stairs, and came upon a room where a man sat on a bed sobbing. Beside him the blanket was draped over something. She approached cautiously, and bent over it. She lifted the covers a little to see what was underneath, then started and backed away. Underneath was a body – and not just any body, but hers. It lay stiff and unmoving.

She backed away, only to hear a growl behind her. Spinning around, she faced one of the largest dogs she had ever seen. It wasn't growling at her, luckily; its eyes were focused on the doorway behind her. She followed its gaze to see a shadow in the doorway. It stepped into the light, and She saw the face of an old woman. Something was strange about her face, though; it seemed to be… moving, morphing. Before her eyes it turned to –

"Mother?" Shen gasped. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"Geschenka," her mother said sadly. Shen knew something was wrong. Her mother only called her by her full first name when she was in trouble, or when something serious was going on.

"Am I dead?" she asked. It might have seemed a weird question, but she had just seen her own body lying in the bed! For all she knew, she could be in ghost form right now, though she didn't get what the man crying was all about. She didn't know any guys. Besides the mailman, that is. But he had white hair and a beard, and from she could see of this guy, his hair was brown.

"Come home," said Mrs. Gothelle, ignoring Shen's question, "Please come home."

_What?_ thought Shen. _Aren't I already home?_ She looked around. True, the place seemed familiar somehow, but it wasn't her house. _Okay, what the heck am I doing here?_ She moved to step towards her mother.

Suddenly the weeping man lifted his head. Shen attempted to freeze, but stepped on a creaky board. She cringed. He whipped his head to face her, and gasped.

"You!" he said, features distorted in a mixture of sadness, disbelief, and… love? That couldn't be right. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I, uh…" said Shen, stalling and trying to think of an excuse for being in the home of a stranger. A stranger who was, quite strangely, looking at her not with anger at finding an intruder in his house, but more as though he were seeing a vision.

_Well maybe I am a vision_, Shen thought. _For all I know I am dead or a ghost_. His next words, though, confirmed that she was not dead, though they only confused her more.

"You're alive!" His eyes held wonder. "How? How are you alive?"

"Shen!" The voice of her mother called her. "Hurry, you must come to me!"

She obediently turned to leave the weird man and go to her mother, but was startled when he stood up quickly.

"No!" he said urgently. "Don't go with her!"

"Ignore him," Mrs. Gothelle said firmly in reply to her daughter's hesitant look.

"It's a trap!" the man yelled, but she attempted to ignore him.

He leaped forward and grabbed her arm, but an instant later her mother was beside her. Mrs. Gothelle crashed into him, and Shen was thrown to the side. She fell for quite a while before hitting the floor, but when she did, it was not the floor of the house. Rather, it was the hard rocky ground of a canyon.

Above her, outlined against a stormy sky, two silhouettes rose. Her mother and the madman stood on opposing fock formations. They threw bolt after bolt of flashing light at each other.

_Wait_, Shen's voice of reason said suddenly. _How can this be real? It can't. It's impossible. This must be a dream_. Shen laughed. So that was it. She was simply having a crazy dream. _I might as well sit back and watch the show_, she thought. It was entirely entertaining to watch the fight between her mother and Richard.

_Umm…_ How did she know the stranger's name? Shen pondered over the question awhile, before remembering the scene in the marketplace. _Oh my gosh, I do know this guy. At least, as well as you can know some psycho who you just met who tried to kill you or something. And who put you in some sort of trance or sleep-like state, inducing you to have a weird magical dream._

Her eyes widened. _Magical?_ Completely skipping over panicking about magic existing and all the questions that raised, Shen got straight to the point most relative and important in her situation. _How do I get out of this dream? It must have a purpose I must complete - some kind of goal. _ As far as she remembered from the books she had read, you had to do one or both of two things to fulfill the purpose of a dream. 1., learn something important pertaining to your fate, and 2., make an important decision.

Shen weighed both of these options. Looking at the scene around her, she decided #1 on the list was not what she was here to do. Unless the important thing she had to learn was cool fighting strategies, or the impressiveness of using stormy skies and canyons for fight scenes, she saw nothing of use in this dream. That left option #2.

What decision would she have to make in this dream? She looked over to where the two others were fighting. She gasped. _Of course_. The answer had been right in front of her. Just like so many other stories, she had to choose between the two people to determine her fate. _Let's see. Crazy Richard Psycho Guy, or Mom. Pfff. This choice is too easy._

She began to walk to her mother, waiting for the fireworks and magic sparkles and blinding lights to begin that would pull her out of her dream and notify her that her magical, albeit totally ridiculous, adventure was at an end. Five steps more, four steps… she had almost reached her mother when something caught her eye.

To the side, a ray of light hit something. Something big. Something amazing. Something totally, entirely, completely… yummy. It was a chocolate chip cookie.

_Wow. That looks delicious. _Shen gravitated towards it, ignoring the desperate cries of the two behind her. She reached out, and picked up the cookie. A blinding light began to shine from it.

_Why is my cookie shining? _Everything began to fade. _No, don't take my cookie! _

Shen watched with desperation as everything she loved was torn away.

* * *

_2:12 p.m. November 20, 2015_

Shen awoke to the delicious smell of coffee, bacon and eggs, though with her poor sense of smell she only identified it as something that smelt delicious. She found herself lying on the couch in her living room.

She plodded into the kitchen to find her mom making the source of the wonderful smell.

"_Finally_, you're up," Mrs. Gothelle said.

"Really," Shen said, smiling, "I couldn't have slept _that_ long." She looked to the clock to confirm her claim, and discovered that she did, indeed, sleep that long. "Oh."

She sheepishly pulled out a chair and got to work on the drool-worthy meal her mother had prepared.

"Wow, Mom," she complimented with food in her mouth, "You cooked very well for someone who did so much driving yester-" She cut herself off as she realized that she couldn't remember what time they had gotten home.

"Umm…" she swallowed her mouthful and tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hey, I know this is going to sound weird, but what time did we get home last night?"

"Why, don't you remember?"

Shen tried to. Honestly, she did. But her mind came up with nothing - until some bizarre images flashed through her head. Grocery shopping. A bag of dog food on the floor. Two psychos. A flash of light. Her mouth dropped open.

"Mom, please tell me I didn't get drunk last night."

Mrs. Gothelle's eyes snapped to hers. "You'd better not have; I don't want a daughter of mine ever getting drunk, let alone at the age of sixteen." She smiled. "But I would have noticed if you had been guzzling alcohol in the passenger seat." She brought her coffee to the table, then suddenly frowned. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, Mom," Shen muttered sheepishly. More images flashed by like rays of sunlight through a tunnel as a train drove by at a hundred miles per hour. A glimpse of a house. A man beside a dead body. Her mother fighting. And a perfect, delicious chocolate chip cookie. "Just a weird dream. It's strange, though. I can't seem to remember anything from last night."

"Hmm, strange," mused Mrs. Gothelle. "Well, I can tell you and maybe you'll remember. We were driving past Boston; you remember that, don't you?"

Shen nodded.

"Well, a while later I pulled over to do some shopping for dinner. You stayed in the car because it was warm in there, and you didn't want to walk through the cold." Shen did remember thinking something along those lines. "When I came back with the food, you were asleep. You slept rather restlessly, but I didn't have the heart to wake you up, because you looked so tired. We arrived home soon after, and you woke up just long enough to drag yourself to the couch. You slept all the way up until a few minutes ago."

Shen chewed thoughtfully. "Well, that does make sense. It wouldn't be the first time I was too tired to remember something." _Although it doesn't explain the dream_. Of course, her strange adventures in the land of Nod could easily be explained by the suspicious artificial-tasting smoothie she had ordered at a fast food restaurant. _That must be the reason_.

"So," she began, changing the subject, "Anything interesting happen while I was obliviously sleeping? Anything new in the neighborhood?" She took a sip of coffee. "Maybe old man Michaels grew a beard, or the mailmen slipped on ice, or some other dull piece of news that's considered gossip-worthy in this town?" She raised her eyebrows suggestively and greedily rubbed her hands as though expecting a juicy tale.

"Come on, girl, I want all the details." She had read a few girls saying that to their "besties" in some online books she had read. It made her mother wince to hear her say it.

"Oh, Shen," she laughed awkwardly, "You've been reading those awful teen romance's again, haven't you?"

"I'm sorry, mother," Shen said, playing perfectly her part of a repentant daughter, then turned sad supplicating eyes to her mother, "but I needed to study the human psychology behind the actions of the modern inadequately brained highschooler, and I thought to myself, 'What better way to do that than to read a fictionalized account written by a high schooler herself?' You know I can't resist a chance to learn more."

Mrs. Gothelle rolled her eyes and smiled. "Oh yes, I'm sure you learned plenty of things. Have you come upon the subject of "pantsing" yet? What about drug parties? Or better yet,how much do you know about french kissing?"

"Ew, Mooom," groaned Shen, playfully pretending to gag. As a matter of fact, she was limited to PG 13 ratings in all the books she read, but she had heard enough here and there to know of a few of the more questionable acts committed by those of the outside world. Overall, though, she was very sheltered; being home schooled and living in a nearly empty town had helped with that.

"So you do know," Mrs. Gothelle said, laughing, but inwardly surprised, even though she had known Shen would find out sooner or later. It was hard not to notice some things when they were so blatantly discussed by people of all ages. "To be completely honest, I didn't intend for you to learn about that yet, but I suppose sixteen is old enough."

That's what Shen loved about the bond between her mother and her. They were always honest. Which was why she blushed, but told the truth, 'Actually, I've known since I was fifteen."

Mrs. Gothelle spat out her coffee.

* * *

_2:31 p.m. of the same day_

"Are you okay now?" Shen asked with concern.

Mrs. Gothelle coughed experimentally, then spoke. "Yes, I'm fine." Her voice was still raspy.

"I don't mind if you decide to choke on your coffee, but I'd rather if you didn't, er, spit it out all over me," Shen muttered.

"Hey, you needed to take a shower anyway," her mother joked.

"Eww, but not a coffee shower."

"What? Don't you believe in the health benefits of washing in-"

"Alright, alright," said Shen, raising up her hands in surrender. "I'll take a shower!" It wouldn't be safe to hang around any longer; her mother still had half a cup of coffee.

"My little Geschenka, you're finally taking responsibility for yourself," said Mrs. Gothelle in mock surprise. "You've grown up so fast." Shen put her dishes in the sink and dashed upstairs to the bathroom.

After she had left, her mother sat at the table for a while, lost in thought.

"She _is_ growing up," she said to herself, "and maybe it's time I told her."

Shen looked nothing like Mrs. Gothelle. She had noticed this years before, and asked her mother about it. Rather than concocting some weak excuse, Mrs. Gothelle had admitted that Shen was not her blood relation.

"But you are, and always will be, my daughter," she said. "I loved you from the moment I saw you, and nothing could ever change that."

Their relationship remained the same. Shen did wonder who her real parents were sometimes, and whether they were still alive. But she still thought of Mrs. Gothelle as her mother, and couldn't imagine it any other way.

But it was not Shen's adopted status that worried Mrs. Gothelle. Though her daughter loved fairy tales and stories of magic, and had quite an imagination when it came to dreaming up possibilities, Mrs. Gothelle wasn't sure how well she would take the information that magic really did exist.

Of course, it was quite common knowledge to most people, though many hid it, and many more no longer believed in it. Something inside of many modern people was dying. Less and less people were capable of the magic that was supposed to live inside of them. Most of the younger generation was not up to the responsibility of working it. Witches, fairies, and others born with the spark were feared, or looked down upon.

Of course, a healthy amount of fear was always good, but being viewed as _less_ than human should not be tolerated. Many people had already experienced Mrs. Gothelle's wrath about this treatment.

The incident at the grocery store had been a close call. Shen had come face to face with magic users - and not just any magic users, but her parents. Luckily, Mrs. Gothelle had influenced Shen's mind to view it as a surreal, dreamlike happening, and passed it off as a dream. It just went to show how easy it was to convince someone that something they could not believe had happened had indeed not happened. It also proved how hard it would be for her to tell the truth to Shen when the time was right.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Shen came running back into the room, still sporting her bedhead and messy clothes, and obviously not showered. She was shouting something excitedly, and waving her hands wildly, but was completely unintelligible due to the fact that her toothbrush was still in her mouth. Toothpaste mixed with spit dripped down her chin.

"Ugh, Shen," said Mrs. Gothelle, shielding her eyes, "Could you finish brushing your teeth before you try to tell me whatever it is you are trying to say?"

Shen bolted to the sink, where she rinsed out her mouth quickly, and then dashed back to the dining room.

"Mom!" she said eagerly, "who is that outside?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Mrs. Gothelle leaped out of the chair and went to the door, wondering if it was the mailman, a package delivery, or perhaps some door-to-door charity. It was a rare time that anyone visited their house.

"No, not at our house," Shen said, and waved her mother impatiently over to a window. "Look! There!"

Mrs. Gothelle did look, and what she saw nearly sent her into the same state as Shen. In the driveway of the nearby house, a blue minivan was parked. Beside it was a large van, and several men were in the process of carrying a couch out of it at the instant.

"What's going on?" asked Shen curiously, directing her mother's attention back to her.

Mrs. Gothelle looked at her grimly. If there was one thing she didn't want to happen, it was this.

"We have new neighbors."

* * *

_A/N: I really hate fragments pretending to be sentences. Really, I do. Yet I used them a lot in Shen's dream. For those of you who have read The Hunger Games, you may have noticed that Suzanne Collins uses a lot of fragments; it's just her style of writing. Somehow reading the series changed the part of my subconscious that says, "Fragments are bad" to "Fragments are acceptable". Alas, I'll never be the same again._

_If you like this story, please follow it so you can see when I update it. Feel free to leave reviews; I love to hear my readers opinions! (No, truly, I do!) _

_Thanks for reading!_


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